About an hour outside of BH, in the middle of an otherwise ugly, industrial town lies the magnum opus of one of Brazil’s most famous artists, Aleijadinho. The artist, whose name literally translates to “little cripple,” suffered from leprosy and eventually had his hands and feet amputated. While the traditional biography of Aleijadinho has been recently disputed, it is believed that the sculptures of the 12 prophets surrounding the church were carved by Aleijadinho after having lost the use of his hands. True or not, the story of Aleijadinho and his sculptures at the Church of Bom Jesus de Matozinhos remains inspirational for many mineiros and is the most important site for Christian pilgrimage in Brazil.
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